Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 108, June 8, 1895Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 108, June 8, 1895
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
_Business done._--Another night's talk round Welsh Disestablishment
Bill.
_Tuesday._--Prospect of hearing JOHN WILLIAM move adjournment of House
over Derby Day, and JOHN LENG reply on other side, sufficed to crowd
benches. Such encounter of wits rarely delights mankind these degenerate
days. Such lightness of touch! Such gleaming attack! Such brilliant
defence! In short, such badinage! Such persiflage! Old Members recall
earlier conflicts in same field. Young Members look back on clever
speech made by ELCHO in moving adjournment one year, capped by equally
brilliant speech when, in the following Session, he seconded WILFRID
LAWSON on the negative course. This and all else would be excelled when
JOHN WILLIAM began to jest, and LENG made light reply.
[Illustration: _Cromwell._ "Brother JOSEPH, Brother JOSEPH, for a
Roundhead I find thee in strange company!"
"But what a pity it is that we cannot revive Oliver Cromwell in the
flesh, and not only in marble."
_Mr. Chamberlain's Speech at Birmingham, May 29._]
This was natural expectation from reputation of these famous wits. In
dreary conversation that followed there was one solitary flicker of
humour; it was discovered by anxious searcher in the circumstance that
the whole business was utterly, hopelessly prosaic. There wasn't a laugh
in it from beginning to end. House begins to think it has had enough of
this elaborate annual tourney of humour. Next year, if motion for
adjournment over Derby Day is made, it will be better to have question
put forthwith, and so divide. Another experience like the exceedingly
bad half-hour endured this afternoon is more than should fall to the lot
of a single generation.
_Business done._--House agreed by 221 votes against 174 that it could
not afford to take a holiday. Straightway proceeded to waste remainder
of sitting in vain repetition of argument round clauses of Welsh
Disestablishment Bill.
_Thursday._--Well for PRINCE ARTHUR he chanced to be absent to-night
when Cap'en TOMMY BOWLES hauled alongside SILOMIO and raked him fore and
aft. KENYON, who knows more than you think when you hear him speak,
tells me it is pretty certain when the next Government is formed SILOMIO
will have his choice of succeeding either EDWARD GREY or SYDNEY BUXTON.
Neither office is of Cabinet rank. But with the chief in the Lords, a
statesman of SILOMIO'S ability and sagacity can make and keep a position
equal in importance and influence to some more highly placed. No one
will deny that the promotion will have been well earned. The Sheffield
Knight has, perhaps, been more prominently associated with the conduct
of Colonial affairs than with those nominally directed by Lord KIMBERLEY
with the assistance of EDWARD GREY. This is a view strengthened by the
circumstance of the honourable title conferred upon him by the
emissaries from Swaziland. Actually, SILOMIO knows quite as much of
Foreign Affairs as he does of Colonial.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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